Financial Services Authority
From SR
Roles
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is an independent body that regulates the financial services industry in the UK.
The FSA have a wide range of rule-making, investigatory and enforcement powers to enable them to meet four statutory objectives summarised as one overall aim: to promote efficient, orderly and fair markets and to help retail consumers achieve a fair deal.
Additional objectives:
- Provide political and public accountability.
- Govern the way the FSA carry out their general functions e.g. rule-making, giving advice and guidance, and determining general policy and principles
- Assist in providing legal accountability.
Structure
The FSA is an non-governmental body, given statutory powers by the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. The Treasury appoints the FSA Board, which currently consists of a Chairman, a Chief Executive Officer, three Managing Directors, and 9 non-executive directors (including a lead non-executive member, the Deputy Chairman). This Board sets the overall policy, but day-to-day decisions and management of the staff are the responsibility of the Executive.
Reporting Hierarchy
The FSA is accountable to Treasury Ministers, and through them to Parliament. It is operationally independent of Government and is funded entirely by the firms it regulates.
